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Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Book blog

Austen, Jane and Ben H Winters. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monters. Quirk Books, Philadelphia; 2009.

Wow! When I first came upon these fan-fiction books, it was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and I was outraged! Zombies interfearing with Darcy and Elizabeth? How dare these boys mess with my favorite book, couple or Jane Austen!

As for this book...what a fun read! Sea monsters and hideous man-monsters, giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, multiple headed sea beasts! Just when you think it is safe to go back into water, it is not. Just when you think things have become safe and peaceful, all heck breaks lose. This is an E-ticket, white knuckle ride.
"She grasped a spare oar from its rigging, snapped it in twain upon her knee with a swift motion, and plunged the sharp, broken point into the churning sea- piercing the gleaming, deep-set eye of the beast."

If you are an Austen fan like me, be easy. Author Ben H Winters stays true to Austen's writing style. He merely takes artistic license in adding sea monsters at key moments in dialogue. 
"Edward sought to grapple with the rear quarters of the great fish but its tail slipped from his grasp, whilst it opened his massive wet maw around Mrs. Dashwood's head, hoping to dispense with bitting and swallowing her whole."

Winters takes reader on a wild ride to a mysterious island filled with dark secrets and savage creatures. Its a story of survival of the fittest where only the strongest swimmers will survive! Winters adds action, adventure, danger, suspence, and sea monsters to Jane Austen's Regency England, showing proper English gentry in a whole new light. 

If you love classics but find them a bit wanting or stuffy then you will love these fan fiction books.

For more information go to Quirk Books at www.quirkclassics.com or www.irreverence.com



Cornwell, Patricia. The Body Farm. Charles S
Scribner's Sons, New York; 1994.
Black Mountain, a sleepy little town in North Carolina, is shocked to the core when the body of an eleven year old girl is found. A research institute that tests decomposition of corpses, the Body Farm, provides vital answers for pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

I love detective who-done-it stories. I love to read about what happened then try to figure out who did it, how they did it, and why. While I don't want to believe that such a research facilities actually exists, I understand why it would be useful in solving murder cases such ad this.
I was a little disappointed with some of the character developments until I realized that this is just one book in a series. While this book stands alone, I am still curious to see how Dr. Scarpetta started down this path.

If you are a fan of mystery directive stories then you will enjoy The Body Farm.

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